Troubled breathing: normal aging or a sign of something serious?

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Do you ever find yourself feeling short of breath? No matter your age, this symptom can mean a variety of things for different people. Unfortunately, many people assume coughing and increased breathlessness are just a normal part of aging. This isn't necessarily true, and troubled breathing tends to signal a deeper problem within your respiratory system.

The problem with breathlessness

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, affects about 30 million people in the U.S. and accounts for many types of progressive lung diseases, according to the COPD Foundation. Since COPD is defined by increasing breathlessness, most people experiencing this symptom fall into the category of having some form of COPD. Here are some specific conditions that are linked to COPD:

Emphysema

Chronic bronchitis

Non-reversible asthma

Some forms of bronchiectasis.

As COPD progresses, it can result in major loss of overall lung function and a decline in quality of life as a result. Although various risk factors play a role in the development of COPD, including smoking, environment and genetics, almost half of people with COPD symptoms do not even realize they have a diagnosable condition.

What symptoms should you look out for? Symptoms range from mild to severe, but the list below, provided by the American Lung Association, has a few common ones:

Tightness in the chest

Frequent coughing (with or without sputum)

Wheezing

Increased shortness of breath.

As you can guess, it’s vital to seek care for such symptoms before irreparable damage occurs. In addition, those who suffer from the following symptoms may also have COPD:

General fatigue

Frequent respiratory infections

Blueness of lips and fingernail beds

Needing to clear the throat often due to excess mucus

Breathlessness during everyday activities.

No one should have to live life feeling tired and unable to keep up due to breathlessness. If you feel any of these symptoms describe you, it’s time to seek solutions.

Lung inflammation and groundbreaking solutions

As already mentioned, several risk factors may affect your respiratory system and how it functions. Still, COPD actually results from inflammation of one or more portions of the lungs. That being said, once you can control the inflammation in your lungs, normal breathing can resume.

Doctors and researchers have been investigating the use of several therapies to combat lung inflammation (and its consequent symptoms). Once such therapy is a type of stem cell therapy, or cellular therapy that uses growth factors, cytokines and proteins to accomplish three main goals:

Stop pulmonary inflammation

Reverse disease patterns and lung constriction

Repair damaged lung tissue and cells.

The real value in stem cell therapies such as this one is that stem cells create naturally occurring anti-inflammatory agents that stimulate tissue repair and function. As the treatment takes effect, the lungs may be restored to optimal or near-original function. Benefits of this cellular therapy also include increased respiratory capacity and the potential to stop certain degenerative processes entirely.

It's a gentle, pain-free treatment that doesn't require drugs. With this particular solution, patients are able to recover from treatments quickly and without the risks associated with surgical procedures.

While some doctors may prescribe a variety of medications or even a risky surgery to combat symptoms of COPD, the providers at East West Health are fully capable of providing low-risk and lasting solutions like cellular therapy for patients with COPD. To find out if cellular therapy is a viable option for you, contact East West Health at 801-582-2011 today.